Welcome back, everyone!

I'm loving the reviews right now. Everyone sharing their own viewpoints and perspectives on right and wrong, Severus's choices and the moral ambiguity of war in general has been quite enlightening. I can certainly see all of your points and concede that Severus looking out for himself during the war is perhaps not outright selfish; there isn't much he could have done to prevent Voldy's actions after he joined, even less he could have done to try and convince the guy to stop targeting an infant. So yes, him choosing to beg only for Lily's life was him probably accepting the grim reality that there was no way in hell he would have gotten Harry to be spared the Dark Lord's wrath and pursuing the issue would have most likely cost him his life for insubordination. So, Lily was the only one he could save, being the most inconsequential to the Dark Lord.

One thing I stand by though is this: Snape WAS a bully as an adult. It wasn't strict teaching as some have referred to it as. No volatile substance is a reason to abuse your power to belittle, taunt, goad, and intimidate CHILDREN when you are in a position of authority capable of getting away with it, nor is it an excuse to make up violations to punish them for (blaming harry on his first day for supposedly not warning Neville about a potion ingredient in what Snape claimed was an attempt to look better by comparison) or deliberately encouraging the behavior of bullies (Draco) and turning a blind eye to their actions (he not only refused to acknowledge what Draco did to Hermione's teeth in fourth year, he taunted her for her appearance by claiming the outrageously sized and absurd looking teeth looked no different than her usual appearance).

Severus did exactly what his former tormentors did by capitalizing on children's self esteem, lack of confidence, and insercurities and made several students absolutely dread and fear his presence. That's not much different than him dreading and hating his own school days due to trepidation of insults, and hexes at the hands of people who would get away with it.

Maybe you could argue that what he did was unintentional and only a desire to protect students from dangerous potions...if he hadn't absolutely RELISHED how it made students miserable. As much as I love Snape and relate to his childhood, keep inn mind he DID once threaten and techinically attempt to poison Trevor, Neville's beloved pet, by force feeding it a potion of Neville's that he had no proof was harmless.

How would you feel as a chemist if your teacher decided to take a concoction you messed up and then forced it down your kitten's throat to "see if it worked"?

Pretty sure you would call the police.

I personally think standing over an injured child and screaming insults at them for their mistakes is akin to child abuse and Snape did that on several occasions when students got hurt in his class, especially Neville. You wouldn't stand over someone who was hit by a car to tel them they were stupid for not looking both ways. You'd show concern first, get them help, THEN process the mistake they made that could have been avoided.

Snape should know better and it was a shame that the harsh world he lived taught him such behavior (let's be honest, the adults' indifference is part of the reason he took over the role of bully, because he literally sees people demonstrating an abuse of power whenever they had it, so what else was he going to do once he got the reins?) It doesn't excuse his behavior, but better explains it and that's why I still love snape despite his shitty actions

Well regardless, that's simply my personal opinion and you're welcome to disagree with me.

Well enough of that, on with the show!

If Someone Cared Enough

Chapter Fifty-Nine: Bathroom Chitchat

"So…" Davis began hesitantly, "How are we going to do this?"

Severus and his friends stood outside the bathroom infamously known as Moaning Myrtle's abode. Even in the hall, they could hear sighs of melancholy and sniffling, broken up by the occasional dramatic wail. Myrtle was in true form that day, as the floor beneath their feet was wet from the flooded sinks and toilets spilling into the hall. It was anyone's guess what had set her off this time.

"What do you mean 'how'?" Simone asked, "We go in there and ask her."

Davis scoffed, "Yes, because I'm sure several nosey students popping into to ask her 'Hey Myrtle…how'd you die?' is not going to offend her."

"If I was a subject of a discussion I'd like to know about it," Mary pointed out, "Better be upfront with her than talk about someone behind their back."

"It's not like we can tell her anything, though," Severus put forth, "Myrtle is a notorious attention seeker. If we give her crucial information, there is no guarantee she won't share it with someone else just to be the center of attention for a few seconds."

"Good point," Simone agreed, "Look how she gave you clues about the Baron. Even while trying to respect his privacy she still managed to share enough to feel special."

"I'm not saying we tell her everything," Mary said, "But we can tell her we're curious about how she died—which we are. Given how much she likes the focus being on her, she might be flattered that we're so interested."

Severus mulled the suggestion over, "So we play her love of the spotlight to our advantage. Yes…that could work. Good idea, Mary."

Mary beamed at Severus, leaning in closer to him.

Lily tried to ignore the way Mary's arm wrapped so tightly around Severus's, the dark haired boy oblivious to the closeness or unbothered by it.

"Well, we're burning daylight here," Simone announced, "Let's head in."

"Hold up," Davis said suddenly, halting everyone's trek into the bathroom, "This is a girl's loo. Why are Severus and I needed for this at all?"

"Because Severus has built up somewhat of a rapport with Myrtle," Thea explained, "Besides, she may want to talk just to impress you two; she's…a little boy crazy."

"Happens when you died at the peak of teenage hormones," Simone quipped.

Severus grimaced, "I'd like the plan better if I didn't have to seduce information out of her…"

Nesme patted his shoulder, "Consider it spy work. You're like James Bond."

Severus snorted, "Which one? The one who thinks he should be able to slap women, or the one synonymous with forgettable?"

Nesme blinked, "Which one was the latter?"

"Exactly," Severus said.

"Enough dawdling," Simone proclaimed loudly, "Let's get going."

Trudging through the water, the group entered the bathroom with a fair amount of unease. Myrtle was harmless, but her presence could be particularly draining given her dour and moody personality. There was also the issue of never knowing when she was going to spray you with toilet water for a perceived insult.

Coming to stand by the nearest sink, Severus stared up at where Myrtle was currently hovering forlornly, sniffling and whimpering to herself.

"Rough day, Myrtle?" he asked casually.

Myrtle jumped with a start, sending herself up towards the ceiling in surprise.

"Severus," she cried, "You scared me have to life."

"Doesn't she mean half to death?" Nesme questioned, only to be shushed by Simone.

"I see you've brought girls with you," Myrtle said disdainfully, her eyes lingering particularly long on Lily, "Including that one. She intruded on our evening in the library."

Mary shot Severus a questioning look, looking back and forth between him and Lily.

"Research," Severus said, waving off her concerns before addressing Myrtle, "I do believe Peeves proved to be a bigger interruption in the end."

Myrtle's face screwed up in distress, "It's been a month since I thought of that. That wretched pest! How dare he make fun of meee!" she floated over to a corner, shoulders quaking.

"Don't get her worked up," Simone hissed, cuffing Severus in the back of the head, "We can't have her taking off down the U-bend before we get some answers."

"She's acting like she and I had a date that night," Severus shot back, "I only asked her to come with me because as a ghost she could provide useful surveillance. I didn't ask her out!"

Simone sneered, "Oh wah! What's more important; your pride or our mission?"

"Are you mocking me—"

"Look here, Myrtle," Nesme said suddenly, taking charge of the situation while Simone and Severus bickered, "We brought a friend we'd like you to meet."

She dragged Davis out to the front of the group, waving her hands in a ta-da sort of fanfare.

Myrtle turned around, her gaze falling upon the Ravenclaw.

"Ooh, another boy," she cooed, coming back over to the others, "And he's handsome too…"

Davis flushed up to his ears, "Um…h-hullo. I'm Davis."

"Hello Davis," Myrtle said coyly, floating closer, "I'm Myrtle."

"Yes, I know," Davis said nervously, "I mean I've heard a lot about you. Good things of course."

"Of course," Myrtle said, "Nesme never talks bad about me. She and I can relate to each other."

"We're unconventionally pretty," Nesme declared.

"We are," Myrtle agreed, "Not enough people appreciate our…unique looks."

"I-I do," Davis said, keeping Myrtle's attention on him for the sake of the plan, "I greatly appreciate unique beauty."

"Is that so?" Myrtle side eyed Nesme, "So are you her…boyfriend."

"No," Nesme said quickly, lest Myrtle's interest in Davis wane, "He's my friend. Like a brother, really."

She missed the somewhat offended look Davis shot her.

"Ooh," Myrtle said, her interest in Davis renewed, "And he's a Ravenclaw. That was my House, you know?"

"Unsurprising," Davis replied, "Given how smart I'm told you are."

"Me? Smart?" Myrtle practically preened, "You're so sweet," she moved her hand as if to shove Davis playfully, but it just went right through him, causing Davis to resist a shudder at the cold chill.

"This is working out better than expected," Lily mused.

"Yeah, because unlike Snape, Davis knows how to talk to women," Simone said with a smirk.

"Severus does too," Lily defended in a hushed whisper, "He's just…shy."

She turned her gaze to Severus, Mary's hand still wrapped around his as they watched Myrtle and Davis.

"And unavailable," Lily added ruefully to herself.

Simone shared a questioning look with Thea, the latter shrugging her shoulders.

"So Myrtle," Nesme said, bringing everyone's attention back to the present, "I've told Davis here an awful lot about you since you and I first met. He's been dying to meet you ever since."

Myrtle giggled, seeming to like the morbid pun.

"But you know," Nesme went on, "There's one question I haven't been able to answer for him, one he would very much like to know."

Nesme thumped Davis on the back, signaling him to take over.

"Oh…well," Davis looked up at Myrtle hesitantly, "I was wondering…if it wasn't too rude of me asking…you know…"

Nesme elbowed Davis harshly.

"Howdidyoudie?" Davis blurted out in a rush.

Everyone held their collectively breaths, waiting for a response. Myrtle was so easy to set off sometimes, some moments she seemed proud of her ghost-hood, other times referencing her undead state sent her into a downward spiral of depression. It was really a roulette game wondering which reaction you could get.

To everyone's surprise, Myrtle lit up in excitement, her usually dowdy, glum features lightening into what could be considered almost cute.

"It was awful," she said with relish, "It happened here in this bathroom."

She glided over to the far stall, looking it over adoringly, "In this very stall."

"Can you recall anything specific?" Severus questioned.

"Yes," Myrtle said with glee, loving how intrigued everyone appeared, "Olive Hornby had been making fun of my glasses again, so I came in here to get away from her. I was crying, you see…dreadfully distraught."

"Olive being a right pain in the ass again," Severus said. As much as Myrtle worn his nerves and patience thin, he couldn't help but share in her resentment for the long since passed Hornby. Myrtle must have had it rough as it was being in school with few friends to call her own; she didn't need a bullying constantly wearing her down over her looks and unpopularity.

Myrtle took great pleasure in Severus trash talking Olive, "She was a nasty thing. Anyway, I was hiding in here to get away from her when someone came in. I thought it was very strange because I had locked the door."

"Only a prefect or teacher would be able to get in," Lily whispered to the others while Myrtle was wrapped up in reminiscing, "The bathrooms are spelled to prevent an invasion of privacy by other students, even with the use of alohomora."

"And we know one prefect who took credit for finding Myrtle's killer," Severus said out the corner of his mouth.

Davis and Nesme meanwhile, were schmoozing Myrtle for whatever information they could get.

"How awful, Myrtle," Nesme said sympathetically, "You were already being treated unfairly and then someone had the audacity to barge in here when you needed time to yourself."

"Downright rude, it is," Davis agreed.

Myrtle glowed under all the attention she was getting, loving a captive audience, "Oh it was! And to top it off, they were speaking utter nonsense. Some sort of funny, made=up language, I think. Whatever it was I couldn't understand a word of it."

"Did you see who it was," Mary asked.

Myrtle shook her head, "Never got the chance to, I'm afraid. You see, I realized it was a boy speaking. Boys were not to come in here—not that I mind them now, though," she added, batting her eyes at Davis, "But at the time, it was absolutely unheard of. So I came out of my stall to tell whomever it was to go away…but's that is about as far as I got. I died on the spot."

"That's all you recall," Severus pushed, "This boy didn't say a spell or anything? No flash of light?"

Myrtle shrugged, "Nothing of the sort."

Severus sighed, "Well it ticks off a few of our suspicious, but leaves some questions unanswered."

"I did see something though," Myrtle announced.

Severus perked up, "You did? What was it?"

Myrtle stared off into the distance, her eyes going hazy as she sifted through her memory.

"I only saw it for a moment," she said seriously, "But I'll never forget it. The last thing I saw was a pair of great, big, yellow eyes…" she pointed across from her stall, "Over there…by that sink."

It was the farthest sink from the door, tucked into the corner adjacent Myrtle's stall, right below the dingy stained glass window. All the other sinks had layers of grim appearing in streaks due to constant streams of water washing segments of dust away during Myrtle's repeated bathroom flooding. However, the final sink was untouched, the grim in one thick and consistent layer.

Cautiously, everyone approached the filthy sink. They moved slowly as if something would burst out of it at any minute. Yet nothing happened.

Curious, Severus walked over to examine the sink. He felt along the wall around the mirror, traced the pipes underneath with a finger. He found nothing amiss.

"Looks like a normal sink to me," he announced, stepping back.

"It's in worse shape than the others," Nesme observed. She wiped away some dirt from the mirror and grimaced at how much of it caked to her hand, "Much worse." She turned the faucet and stuck her hand under the tap expectantly.

"That's sink's never worked," Myrtle informed them, "They say that it has been broken for as long as the school has existed."

"That has to be an exaggeration," Lily said, "That such a pointless legend to pass down through the years."

Nesme stepped over to the next sink, washing off her hands, "Well it certainly isn't working now, regardless. They should probably get that fixed."

Severus ran a finger along the surface of the sink, "Still, it's strange how anything large could have wedged itself into this tight space between the sinks and stalls to kill you, Myrtle. Are you sure you didn't hear anything other than the boy talking? No other footsteps of someone or something entering, perhaps?"

"No," Myrtle replied, "I felt some shaking, but that was it. It didn't feel like footsteps though…more like the castle shaking."

Severus tapped his chin in thought, "An earthquake perhaps?"

"I think more people would have noticed before then," Simone pointed out, "Had to have been localized to this area."

"That just creates even more questions," Severus muttered, "Mrytle, you're sure you never saw anything else. A little of what the thing looked like, maybe?"

Myrtle shook her head, "I never got a chance to see what sort of face those eyes were in. I was drawn to them the moment I opened the door. My eyes just sort of locked onto them. Then everything went dark."

She paused, looking at Severus, "You're asking an awful lot of questions? Why do you want to know so badly?"

"I…just thought it might be nice to actually know what happened to you," Severus lied, "Surely you've had your own questions about this since the day you died. It's all so strange to just wake up dead, so to speak. Weren't you confused?"

"I was," Myrtle admitted, "But I didn't dwell on it long. I was too busy waiting for someone to come and find me. I thought I'd finally get the chance to see someone care; to witness someone drop to their knees and weep for me. 'Not Myrtle! Poor, sweet, Myrtle!'…but it was hours before they found me. No one even cared that I was missing for several hours."

Myrtle sniffled, wiping her eyes, "The only reason I was even discovered was because Headmaster Dippet sent that wretch Olive Hornby to come looking for me," she sniffed, "I imagine he thought she'd apologize and we'd move on. He never took her bullying seriously."

"I can relate," Severus said under his breath.

"Oh, but I got her good," Myrtle said gleefully, "You should have seen Olive when she found my body. She never got over it; I made sure of that. Haunted her most of her life, you see. Only came back here when she finally went to the Ministry to have me chased off."

"Not my first choice, honestly," Myrtle added, looking towards the broken sink, "I can still picture those eyes when I look at that sink. It's why I keep my stall door closed, so I don't have to look at it."

No one could blame her for feeling that way. It was hard to imagine spending eternity floating around the place where a mysterious creature killed you. Rather eerie to think about.

"Still it would have been nice if someone missed me," Myrtle mourned, "My parents were heartbroken, but did anyone else care?" Myrtle buried her face in her hands, "No! In fact, I'm sure they were all thrilled. No more moping, moaning, miserable Myrtle!"

With an a painfully loud shriek of despair, Myrtle shot up into the air and dove into her stall, water splashing up loudly behind the closed door.

"Well that was informative at least," Davis said finally.

"Most informative," Severus agreed, ushering everyone out of the bathroom and out of earshot of Myrtle, "It's safe to say Riddle may very well be behind all this."

Simone nodded, "We can't be sure yet, but the facts are certainly adding up. He was a prefect; only prefects and professors can enter locked bathrooms. And I doubt a professor would kill a student."

"At least not one who would continue to be employed here," Thea said, "It sounds like Dumbledore was pretty confident Hagrid wasn't responsible, so he probably had a good idea who did kill Myrtle."

"Plus spiders have more than one set of eyes," Severus said, "And they definitely aren't yellow. It also seems very unlikely one could kill Myrtle without leaving any discernable mark—a fact overlooked by the school board in their desperation to name a culprit and assuage parent's fears for their children's safety."

"Riddle's middle name is Marvolo," Davis added, "That sounds Romani. Do you think that was the language Myrtle heard him speaking?"

"Anything's possible," Severus conceded.

Mary screwed up her face in thought, "So Riddle is certainly suspicious enough to play a part in Myrtle's death…do you think that he also is the one who hid the diadem?"

Severus mulled it over, "It's highly possible at this point; someone capable of manipulation and duplicity like that would have no trouble charming Helena into revealing where she hid it prior to her death. And if he truly did kill Myrtle, then dark magic on a relic would be child's play to him."

"If we could find a picture of him, we could show it to the Grey Lady and ask if he looks familiar," Nesme suggested, "She can't recall off the top of her head who exactly tricked her back then, but perhaps a photo could job her memory."

"Hogwarts doesn't have year books, though," Lily pointed out.

"What's a year book?" Davis asked curiously.

"A book with pictures of all the students of a school, divided by year and events," Lily explained, "My sister Tuney got one every year from school."

Simone hummed, "Something like that would be rather useful right now. Riddle's our prime suspect, but for all we know there were other devious students during his time at Hogwarts; any of them potentially capable of murder or dark magic, or both."

Thea nodded, "From what I gathered in our dorm, Riddle was Head Boy, just like the student who Helena spoke of, but that doesn't automatically mean they are the same person. It could have been a Head Boy from before or after Riddle's Seventh year. What we need is to show Helena a number of pictures to see who stands out to her."

"A useful tool which we do not have," Severus said.

"Or maybe we do…" Lily said suddenly.

Everyone stopped to look at her.

"What are you on about, Evans," Simone asked.

Lily grinned, "Slughorn has pictures of every slug Club group he's ever had. I've seen it in a photo album he keeps in his office. Slughorn is so hungry for the greatness of others, that I'm sure that plenty of those students over the years were prefects and Head Boys and Girls who excelled and were therefore 'marked for greatness'."

"And Riddle was a Slytherin Prefect and Head Boy who received an award from the school for 'solving' Myrtle's death," Severus said, his eyes lighting up, "He'd definitely be in the Slug Club. Good thinking Lily."

Lily held his gaze, smiling back at him. After a few seconds, realization dawned on Severus's face just who he was talking to and he broke eye contact, looking away awkwardly, leaving Lily feeling sad and dejected.

No one seemed to notice the exchange except Simone.

"We should get to our next classes," she announced loudly, clapping her hands and making shooing gestures, "Come on, come on, we don't want to be late."

"But what about the pictures?" Nesme whined, looking for any reason to not go back to class.

"Snape and Evans are Slughorn's favorite students," Simone pointed out, "They would have an easy time getting close to him. He'll probably whip the album out if asked, just to show off how many people he 'discovered' before they got famous."

Mary sidled up to Severus, "Walk me to class, Sev?"

Lily bristled at the use of her nickname for Severus.

Severus cast uncomfortable look at his friends before shrugging, "I suppose."

Pleased, Mary linked arms with Severus and led him away.

Nesme stared after them, perplexed, "Is anyone else getting a weird vibe from those two…?"

"Class, Nesme," Simone barked.

Nesme jumped with a start, casting a bewildered glance at Simone as she reluctantly walked off with Davis.

"Hold it," Simone said, throwing an arm out in front of Lily as the redhead went to pass her.

Lily groaned, "I'm going to be late."

"Only if you beat around the bush and don't answer my questions," Simone replied, "Now spill: what's going on between you and Snape?"

Lily sighed, she really didn't want to talk about the rift between her and Severus. She hadn't even had a chance to talk with him yet. The next time she saw Severus since the argument, Mary was already wrapped around him like a limpet.

Lily was took hurt then to do anything.

"Nothing is going on. If you were paying attention just now," Lily gestured towards where Mary and Severus once stood, you can clearly see that I'm not the one he has something with."

"What I see if that MacDonald is suddenly glued to Snape's side when last I checked, you and he were about one confession away from settling down and having dozens of gangly ginger children running around," Simone replied.

Lily frowned, "Well things change."

"What things?" Thea asked.

"It's complicated," Lily answered.

"So is life in general," Simone said back, "To be honest, I'm surprised Mary had the nerve to steal him from you. I was under the impression you two girls were friends."

"She didn't know things were heating up between Sev and me," Lily defended; though part of her really wanted to tear Mary's hair out, "I never exactly told her I had feelings for him."

Simone snorted, "And she couldn't figure it out just by watching you two together?"

"You were pretty obvious," Thea agreed.

"She thinks he's just my best friend," Lily stated, "Mary's not the type to assume two people who hang out a lot are automatically a couple."

"So she's oblivious," Simone surmised, "Probably too busy caught up in her own little crush to notice your feelings."

"I think it's more than a crush," Lily said morosely.

Simone shook her head, "I don't think so. I mean, what does she have to be in love with? The fact that he saved her? Sounds more like hero worship to me."

"He saved me too," Lily pointed out, "What's to say I'm not in love with him for all the wrong reasons as well?"

"You and Severus have a history together," Thea said.

Simone nodded, "Quite right. Mary wasn't mean to Snape like other people were, but up until this past summer, she hardly paid attention to his existence. He was just 'Lily's Slytherin friend'. Now he's saved her and she's romanticizing the ordeal like something out of a dime store novel. But you," Simone poked Lily in the chest, "Try and tell me there wasn't a part of you that's always felt a little something for Snape."

"Well I mean, I had a little crush on him when we were children," Lily admitted, quite flustered, "But that's just because he was the first boy I ever spent time with. After that he was my friend; just friends. My feelings are just as recent as Mary's."

"Oh really?" Simone asked with a grin.

Thea smacked Simone on the arm, "Sim, don't pry."

"It's alright," Lily assured Thea, before turning back to Simone, "No, I didn't 'always' have a thing for Severus."

"Then let me ask you this," Simone suggested, "When you pictured coming to Hogwarts for the first time, did you think of Snape there?"

"Yes," Lily said.

"When you imagined graduating…was Snape there?" Simone continued to prod.

"…Yes," Lily said, confused by where this was all going.

Simone grinned, all teeth, "And when you thought about your dream wedding someday…was Snape there as well?"

"Of course he was," Lily snapped impatiently, "He's my best friend. Why wouldn't he be there?"

Simone just continued to smile, "Tell me something, Evans. When you pictured your wedding…did you ever imagine some mystery man waiting for you at the end of the aisle as your groom…or was the only guy in your imagination Snape and you just never stopped to question why?"

Lily blinked, "I…"

Simone smirked, "Got you stumped, don't I?"

"That's not…" Lily stammered, "You've got it all wrong…I…"

"How many firsts have you imagined experiencing with Snape that you just never stopped to think about?" Simone asked curiously, "Ever girl thinks about their first kiss. Did you hope yours would be with him?"

Lily blushed, "I wouldn't say hoped. I just rather assumed it would be. I mean, we did everything together."

"So being romantic together was something you assumed would just naturally come to be?" Simone inquired, "Sounds like your crush was a little more than you make it out to be."

"Well it doesn't matter now," Lily said bitterly, glaring at Simone in embarrassment, "I've lost my chance with him."

Simone hummed, crossing her arms over her chest, "And I would like to know why that is?"

"We fought okay," Lily bit out sullenly.

Simone cocked her head, "About what?"

Lily refused to answer, looking away stubbornly.

"If you can't tell us, who can you tell, Lily," Thea asked honestly, "It may help to get it off your chest."

Lily thought about it, her resolve starting to crumble. She didn't have anyone else she could talk to about this. Jess and Mel were out of the question due to their overall lack of support for Lily's friendship with Sev and Mary was definitely the wrong person to discuss it with considering she was with Sev now. Marlene would do her best to keep it a secret, but the fact of the matter was she tended to get loose lips when she had a few fire whiskeys in her.

Lily had wrote to Petunia seeing as her sister was already aware of the developing feelings between Lily and Severus, but it would be a few days before a reply came back and talking things out over letters wasn't nearly as satisfying as a face-to-face conversation.

"I compared him to his father," she said softly.

Long silence met her statement.

"And what," Simone began after a short pause, "in Merlin's green earth possessed you to do something so monumentally stupid?"

"Because Sev was doing bad things," Lily protested, "Things he shouldn't do."

"Care to enlighten us?" Simone asked sarcastically, "Because I fail to see how anything he did would justify it."

"I didn't say it was justified! I just snapped. I…Severus is working on his spells again," Lily admitted, "The bad one. The one that almost killed him."

"Sectumsempra?" Thea asked, "I thought he didn't trust that spell anymore."

"Well apparently he changed his mind," Lily sniffed, "He's been perfecting it, trying to improve it or something. I can't imagine why he'd want to have anything to do with that awful spell after what it nearly did to him; it's as dark as they come."

"Now hang on a second," Simone interjected, "I thought you understood now that dark and light magic weren't black and white."

"I do!" Lily insisted, "But that spell nearly killed him. Why go back to it?"

"Because it is a useful defense?" Simone suggested, "I assume he wants to better protect you and himself. Can't say I blame him."

Lily huffed, "Why can't he use other spells though? Why one so…dark."

"Because it's effective," Simone stated, "Why use a knife when you've already got a sword?"

"That sword nearly took his head off!" Lily exclaimed, "He could have died that day. You weren't there, you didn't see what it did to him."

"Lily…" Thea began.

Lily cut her off, "No! You didn't watch him bleed out, feel his life slip out of him. I was there. I almost lost him!"

Thea's eyes widened in understanding.

"Ah," Simone said beside her, "I get it now…"

Lily frowned, "…what?"

"You can't think of that spell without fearing you're going to lose him again," Simone summarized, "When you hear that spell, you think about how close he came to dying."

Lily wrapped her arms around herself, "Can you blame me?"

"Not at all," Simone assured her, "It's no different than how certain things triggered your memories of the assault."

"Any other spell," Lily said to herself, almost begging, "He could use any other spell and I could make do with that. But Avery used it and I want no part of anything that creep does, especially after Severus nearly died from it."

"But it's Snape's spell," Simone reminded her, "And it's his choice to use it or not."

"Lily scowled, "Someone should obliviate that wretched spell out of everyone's mind."

Simone frowned in disapproval, "I wouldn't go that far; doesn't exactly seem fair to trifle with someone's head."

"That's another thing," Lily exclaimed, "He's been practicing Occlumency on muggles."

Simone's frown deepened.

"See?" Lily said triumphantly, "Even you disagree with it."

"It does rub me the wrong way, I'll admit," Simone said softly.

"Now do you see why we fought?" Lily asked.

"Still doesn't mean you didn't royally cross a line, Evans," Simone said.

"Me cross a line?" Lily squawked "He's invading people's heads! You yourself think that's wrong."

"It's complicated," Simone said evasively, walking over to look out the window.

"What's so complicated," Lily persisted, "People's minds are their own business. You can't tell me you disprove of Obliviating and yet be okay with him rummaging around someone's head. You're appalled by it too!"

"That doesn't mean I'm against it, Lily," Simone said sharply, stunning Lily.

Simone heaved a tired sigh, rubbing a hand along her brow. She turned to Thea, her friend giving her an encouraging smile.

"Let's face reality, Evans," Simone said finally, "War is coming. We can pretend all we want that everything's fine, up here in our safe, little school, but the fact of the matter is a war is taking place, right outside our windows. Maybe not on the forefront, maybe not in the public eye, but in some shape and form, people are fighting for right and wrong and it's only a matter of time before we have to join them."

"Sides have been drawn," Simone continued, "And we can tell ourselves all we want that picking the light means all our actions will be heroic and righteous, but war isn't black and white. Decisions will have to be made. Morals…may have to be compromised."

Lily was flabbergasted, "But what Severus is doing is wrong."

"What's he's doing has nothing to do with alignment," Simone shot back, "And everything to do with survival."

She turned to Lily, her eyes remorseful, "War is dirty; people fight dirty, and the only way we're going to make it out alive is by doing whatever it takes to ensure ourselves and our loved ones survive."

"We can't count on the other side to fight fair, Lily," Thea reminded the girl gently.

Simone nodded, "Thea's right. Do you think someone like Bellatrix is going to engage someone in an honorable, rule-abiding duel? Count off and walk a certain distance away with the promise to not attack until it reaches ten? She's ruthless and you know it. She's the type to set an orphanage ablaze with children trapped inside; kill a pregnant woman while her husband watches."

She took a step closer to Lily, "Look me in the eyes and tell me that if it was a choice between your ethics and stopping her flaying a child alive you wouldn't blast Bellatrix's limbs off and leave her rot."

Lily bit her lip, looking away.

"You'd throw your principles away then, wouldn't you?" Simone pressed, "We both know that doing the right thing doesn't always mean doing what's fair or ethical. There may well come a time when you or I will have to do things we never thought we would do, and I'll do it if it keeps those I love safe."

"But we're not like the Death Eaters," Lily reasoned, "We're better than them."

"You're right," Simone agreed, "But not because of what magic we use, but because of who and what we're fighting for. We're fighting to save lives, they're fighting to take lives. It's intent that makes the difference."

Lily nodded, recalling Simone saying something similar during their first confrontation.

"You know how I feel about consent," Simone said quietly, "You know how I feel about taking something so personal from someone without permission. I'll never be okay with the sort of thing Severus is doing but…if I was at risk of losing Thea or my family…I'd stoop as low as I could go if it would save them…even if I hated myself for it. Because I know I'd hate myself more if there was something I could have done but didn't in order to stick to my morals."

Thea wrapped her arms around Simone in comfort.

Lily hugged herself tighter, wishing she had a friend to lean on at that moment as well, "So what now?"

"You apologize to Snape," Simone answered.

Lily sighed, "I know. I plan to, but…it won't make a difference. He's already moved on."

"You don't know that," Simone argued, "Mary's getting clingy, but I don't see them snogging or even holding hands. They're taking things slow like you and Snape were; probably so she doesn't overwhelm him and scare him off."

"Mary might even eventually realize how little she has in common with Severus," Thea added, "She's infatuated with the idea of him right now, not the real him."

"That's all just speculation," Lily said, "You guys don't really know how deep her feelings go."

Simone shrugged, "Perhaps not, but we know how deep yours go. And Severus was happiest with you. He shouldn't use Mary to ease his hurt. Mary deserves someone who loves her just as much as you love Snape, and I doubt he can give her that if he's so hung up on you."

Thea patted Lily's shoulder, "Talk to him, make amends. Severus may be stubborn, but he'd have to be pretty stupid to throw it all away over an argument."

Lily grimaced, "You mean like I almost did."

Thea smiled lopsidedly, "True, but we got you to see sense."

"Simone insulted me until I felt bad," Lily said blandly.

"Whatever works," Simone said dismissively.

"Compose your thoughts," Thea advised, ignoring Simone, "Give Severus some time to cool off. In the meantime, you should take the time to think about what it is you want to say. Tell him what you told us; about your reason for hating that spell. He might be more understanding of why you got so upset if he knows your reason for it."

"She's right," Simone agreed, "Right now he probably thinks you're just falling back on more narrow minded views like you used to have."

Lily nodded, "Okay…I'll give it a shot."

"Don't give up yet," Thea urged, "You and Severus have been through thick and thin and you always come out better for it. Don't let this fight end it all."

Lily was determined to make sure what she and Severus had wasn't over.

She'd fix this no matter what.

So our...'brave' heroes finally decided to ask Myrtle what it was that killed her. Not that she could give much of a description, but hey, at least now they have more reason to suspect Riddle as a shady guy. So far they are still lacking any solid proof that he is connected to the diadem other than that he matches a bit of Helena's description of a former Head Boy, but they DO know he acted mysteriously in Myrtle's death and considering he's their only person of interest during that timeline, hes their focus.

(of course we know they're definitely on the right track. Oh the omnipotent power of fandom!)

Lily it seems has some work to do if she wants to make things right with Severus. we've gotten more to the route of the matter on why she's so adamant against Severus using that spell; she doesn't trust it not to be used to kill him. As for her distrust of reading minds, Lily is still a compassionate person who works on the principal of "treat others how you wish to be treated". She can't see herself doing to someone what she would never want done to herself, a courtesy she'd even extend to people who are bad. She feels stooping to their level would be forgoing kindness and compassion, essentially condoning acts she would never want done on herself. She feels that what separates good from evil is empathy, mercy, and restraint. She has yet to realize that a real fight might require you do unthinkable things to a foe to defend the innocent.

Simone and Thea have to deliver some harsh truths about war, something they are more familiar with as Thea's family is so readily allied with the wrong side.

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